Kasaragod: A case has been registered against a 29-year-old private school teacher in connection with the death of a minor girl student by suicide in Kerala's Kasaragod district.
The case was registered against Usman, a native of Adhur here, under the Section 12 of POCSO Act and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, days after the 12-year-old girl died by suicide.
He is absconding now and a man hunt is on to trace him.
According to police, the accused had sent inappropriate messages to the girl, a class eight student studying in the same school, via social media.
A senior police officer told PTI that the victim's parents had come across the chat messages exchanged by the duo and warned the girl against it.
Her father also brought the issue to the notice of the school management who in turn took up the matter with Usman, he said.
"The messages were improper for a teacher to send to a 12-year-old student. The girl was suspected to have ended the life out of mental tension as her parents read the chat messages," the officer said adding that these all were assumptions and they could arrive at a conclusion only after a detailed probe.
Meanwhile, the victim's father told the media that his daughter had ended her life following the mental harassment by the teacher.
Kerala State Commission for Protection of Child Rights had also registered a suo motu case and sought a report from Kasaragod district police chief, Bekal deputy SP, Melparamba SHO and district child protection officer before Oct 4.
(Suicide is not the solution to any problem. Seek the assistance of a mental health specialist. Try to overcome the problem. Helpline numbers - 1056, 0471-2552056)
